London, U.K., June 8, 2010 — A pioneering medical college based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has signed an exclusive seven-year contract with Pearson VUE to receive quality solutions and services to meet its assessment needs. In addition to the delivery of computer-based testing, the partnership will include training and consulting services, item banking and editing tools, item development and related psychometric services.

Formed in 2005, the Batterjee Medical College for Sciences and Technology (BMC) is considered to be the first specialist inclusive private institution for medical sciences in the KSA. The college is also one of the most modern and largest private institutions for medical sciences in the Middle East region. The BMC offers Bachelor’s degrees in various medical fields, including Dentistry, Physiotherapy, Nursing and Pharmacy.

From September this year, Pearson VUE — the global leader in computer-based testing — will deliver approximately 4,000 tests per year in a multiple choice format to assess candidates’ knowledge and understanding of relevant medical fields. The conversion from paper to computer-based testing will give BMC candidates greater access to its awards. Candidates will be able to chose the date, time and at which of the two in-house test centres they wish to undertake examination.

Dr. Khalid A. Batterjee, BMC Dean said:

“We are delighted to offer our candidates greater accessibility to our awards via Pearson VUE’s highly secure testing network. We chose to work with Pearson VUE based on its status as the global leader in computer-based testing and its history of working effectively with clients in the Middle East region.”

Suzana Lopes, Pearson VUE, VP EMEA Sales and Marketing, added:

“We are delighted to provide quality testing services for another client based in the Middle East. We are proud of our presence and growth in this region and look forward to working with the BMC to improve accessibility to its awards.”

About Pearson VUE
Pearson VUE (www.pearsonvue.co.uk) is the global leader in computer-based testing for information technology, academic, government and professional testing programmes around the world. Pearson VUE provides a full suite of services from test development to data management, and delivers exams through the world’s most comprehensive and secure network of test centres in 165 countries. Pearson VUE is a business of Pearson (NYSE: PSO; LSE: PSON), the international media company, whose businesses include the Financial Times Group, Pearson Education and the Penguin Group.